Cash refunds for rail delays

Rail commuters will be able to claim cash refunds when their train is late under new plans being considered today.

One in five trains across the national network is late but on the London routes up to one in four trains is behind schedule.

The passenger rail operators currently insist on paying compensation for late-running services in the form of vouchers for future trips.

But under a European Parliament transport committee proposal, British operators could be forced pay cash instead. They may also have to increase the amounts they pay. The committee has endorsed the proposals of Dirk Sterckx, a Belgian Liberal MEP, for passengers delayed by 60 minutes or more to be entitled to a refund of 25 per cent.

The payment would rise to up to 50 per cent for delays of two hours or 75 per cent if the train is three or more hours late.

In the recent cold snap thousands of commuters on South Eastern Train services from Kent into the capital suffered regular delays of more than two hours.